MRM//McCann Manila (MRM), the digital discipline of McCann Worldgroup Philippines, was once again named Campaign Asia-Pacific Philippine Digital Agency of the Year, at awarding ceremonies held in Singapore on December 10, 2015.
This is the fourth straight year that MRM has been named Digital > Agency of the Year, a record that remains unbeaten since the category was created in 2012.
An official statement released by MRM//McCann New York cited the > Campaign Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year awards as “the region’s most prestigious award that recognizes inspired leadership, business performance and excellence within the advertising and communications industries.”
Awards criteria include: objectives, strategy and achievement (25%); innovation and new initiatives (20%); business growth (15%); client retention and relationships (10%); talent retention and development (10%); the work and recognition (15%); and industry contribution (5%).
According to Manny Fernando, VP/Managing Director of MRM//McCann Manila, the company’s fourth straight win is both an affirmation of its leadership and a challenge to help clients and industry partners alike navigate an even more complex environment.
“In a world where everything is changing, we needed to challenge our own assumptions about how the world currently works,” Fernando shares. “And although we saw that more companies were pumping their monies
into digital, we also saw that our role as an industry leader must not look at digital advertising in isolation. Instead, it should be treated as an integral part of a marketing ecosystem.
He explains, “Knowing all this, MRM//McCann in the past year did the opposite of what everyone in the local digital industry has been doing: instead of advocating that businesses spend more on digital, we advocated that even before spending, brands should first reimagine their businesses and see how their brands can create more value and play a more meaningful role in the lives of modern Filipinos, in a digital-enabled era.”
Leading digital transformations from the inside out According to Fernando, MRM//McCann in 2015 pushed the envelope in terms of strategy and innovation, helping clients transform, digitize, and create more value beyond marketing and social media.
He says, “We saw some concrete successes (in both branding effects and attributable contributions to the bottomline) in the technology-driven solutions, experiences, integrated marketing campaigns, and programs that we’ve launched, whether consumer-facing or otherwise.”
In order to lead these processes, MRM//McCann had to undergo its own internal transformation and set the tone for the rest of the industry. “We ourselves have transformed a great deal internally from the past five years, with innovating proprietary technology, systems, and tools; rigorous training; process innovation; hiring the best and the most proven talent out there; collaborative thinking; and state-of-the-art technological tools, resources, and close coordination with digital partners,” Fernando shares.
“We’re not just talking about a cosmetic change. We’re talking about leading a revolution. And like the speed of development in digital, we’re leading this revolution in real-time.” The power of teamwork and partnerships Fernando cites that a critical element of MRM’s success is its collaboration and integration with the other marketing and communications “disciplines” under McCann Worldgroup Philippines, as well as the other organizations it works with.
“MRM//McCann has been able to achieve the size and scale that it has achieved through the years, thanks to our close collaboration and integration with the various other disciplines of McCann Worldgroup Philippines. Some of our best and most awarded campaigns have shown the strength of digital-led executions that were seamlessly integrated across channels, and we wouldn’t have been able to do this without teamwork and a unified vision to deliver what’s best for our clients’ businesses.”
Fernando also cites clients’ increasing openness to try new and innovative methods, which has allowed MRM to produce some of its most groundbreaking, most effective, and award-winning work.
“We’ve been very particular about working closely with our clients to fulfill their business objectives, so our campaigns are not just about creativity and awards, but-more importantly-about ensuring strong results and effectiveness. We put a premium on razor-sharp insight and strategy, and also on performance measurement and analytics. We bring the full strength of the agency and our people into each project and each campaign that we manage,” Fernando explains.
For his part, Raul M. Castro, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup Philippines, says that MRM//McCann’s fourth straight win signals only “more exciting times ahead” for the larger McCann Worldgroup.
“Over the past few years, we have been working to transform McCann Worldgroup Philippines into a stronger and more robust organization that, despite its size, is able to move with agility and flexibility to meet clients’ ever-changing demands. The business and marketing landscape is moving very quickly, and MRM//McCann has led the McCann Worldgroup in navigating the complexities of our ‘new globality.'”
“Winning Digital Agency of the Year four times in a row only means that we have much more to prove to our clients and to the industry, and it only means that we will be pushing even harder to blaze new trails and make an even bigger impact on our industry and the business community,” Castro stresses.
He adds, “We are grateful for the trust and the confidence that our clients and our industry have placed on MRM//McCann. This award is for all of them, too, as well as for our people.”